A Deadly Brew
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'A good, serious and satisfying read' --Irish Times
Product Description
The opening of a new and very well-endowed college has created petty in-fighting amongst the academics as new appointments are made. The winter and spring have been appallingly wet, there is a fever outbreak amongst the poorer townspeople and the country is not yet fully recovered from the aftermath of the plague. The increasing reputation and wealth of the Cambridge colleges are causing dangerous tensions between the town, Church and University and then the poisoned wine kills the first victim - a student. The second victim is Dittone, the deputy master of the new college, but there seems no connection between him and the student. Matthew must establish the facts before relations between town and gown spiral out of control.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'A deadly brew'continues Susanna Gregory's fantastic Matthew Bartholomew series of books. The town of Cambridge is still recovering from the plague. People are scared, the townsfolk are rebellious and the university is unsupportive. Three University members are poisoned and once again the duty falls on Matthew Bartholomew a Michaelhouse college physician and scholar to find the murderer.
This book is filled with intrigue,suspense and mystery. There are more twists and red herrings then in any other historical fiction. The medieval city of Cambridge is brought to life with the sights and smells, fears and prejudice that characterised it in the medieval period. The differences in lifestyle between Town and Church are cleverly highlighted in this graphic book which is as good as any Ellis Peters book I have ever read. What makes this series of books exceptional is the characters who have so much depth and identity that you cant help liking them. This is a series of books that is more complex and compelling than any other historical fiction I have read and I can assure you that you will never guess the murderer or motive like you can with others.
A deadly brew is an amazing read!
This book is filled with intrigue,suspense and mystery. There are more twists and red herrings then in any other historical fiction. The medieval city of Cambridge is brought to life with the sights and smells, fears and prejudice that characterised it in the medieval period. The differences in lifestyle between Town and Church are cleverly highlighted in this graphic book which is as good as any Ellis Peters book I have ever read. What makes this series of books exceptional is the characters who have so much depth and identity that you cant help liking them. This is a series of books that is more complex and compelling than any other historical fiction I have read and I can assure you that you will never guess the murderer or motive like you can with others.
A deadly brew is an amazing read!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Another well written and plotted murder and smuggling mystery. It includes almost the whole gammut of human 'negative' emotions and reactions, from greed and revenge to assumption of guilt, fear and double-dealing. Nothing is quite what it seems almost up to the last page, with the reader not being too sure if they can take any character wholly at face value. This is not to say that truth and honesty don't get a look in, it's just that even the 'good guys' are sometimes drawn into the 'gray' areas of life.
The building of the main characters from one book to the next - Bartholomew, Brother Michael, Tulyet, Cynric etc - lends an authenticity to the proceedings. This is helped by the fact that some of the characters - both main and bit-parts - are actual historical figures.
Once again the smells, sight, sounds and strange mixture of philosophy & religion are brought vividly to life. At turns you wish you'd been there to experience life on a (sometimes) simpler level, but then you encounter the lack of sanitation, cleanliness & 'comforts' we take for granted today. How people managed to survive when medicine was not much more than astrology,symbolism & superstition is anyone's guess. The ongoing fight of Matthew Bartholomew against fear and ignorance, makes one wonder how medicine actually managed to progress to where we are at nowadays (!)
Another wonderful evocation of the history of Cambridge, and the truth that - although over 600 years ago - it is still greed, hate and revenge that motivates most crime.
Recommended.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is Book 4 in the Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles and every bit as good as the preceding three ( beginning with A Plague on Both Your Houses: The First Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew (Matthew Bartholomew Chronicle (Time Warner)) )
As with the previous books, it's set in Cambridge in the 1300s and we have tension between the scholars and the townspeople running through all the books. And of course, you get murders and secrets.
If you like historical murder mysteries, then you'll like this. The historical details are good and the story is full of intrigue. Many of the characters have a humerous side to them which keeps the tone of the book light. The books are very easy to read and highly entertaining.
Susanna Gregory also has another series... the Thomas Chaloner mysteries, set in a different time and place. These are also good books but I find the Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles more addictive.
As with the previous books, it's set in Cambridge in the 1300s and we have tension between the scholars and the townspeople running through all the books. And of course, you get murders and secrets.
If you like historical murder mysteries, then you'll like this. The historical details are good and the story is full of intrigue. Many of the characters have a humerous side to them which keeps the tone of the book light. The books are very easy to read and highly entertaining.
Susanna Gregory also has another series... the Thomas Chaloner mysteries, set in a different time and place. These are also good books but I find the Matthew Bartholomew Chronicles more addictive.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Deadly Brew
Matthew Bartholomew is dragged into another murder investigation, involving poisoned wine, smugglers and more dastardly deeds in the University hierarchy. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rich
medieval murder mystery at its best
This is the fourth novel in the series that follows Dr Matthew Bartholomew and his Benedictine counterpart Brother Michael as they investigate devious goings on in Medieval... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Dodster
Murder Mystery
If you like historical murder mysteries then this is the one for you. An easy read with a few twists in the plot
Published on 27 July 2009 by Morpeth Ken
A great Gregory
A DEADLY BREW (Hist. Mys-Matthew Bartholomew-England-1353) - VG
Gregory, Susanna - 4th in series
Little, Brown and Company, UK Hardcover, 1998 - ISBN: 0316640573... Read more
Gregory, Susanna - 4th in series
Little, Brown and Company, UK Hardcover, 1998 - ISBN: 0316640573... Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2008 by L. J. Roberts
The Books Just Get Better and Better
Susanna Gregory is the pseudonym of a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. Her series of mediaeval mysteries have gained a formidable following. Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2007 by J. Chippindale
Very good
Another good medieval story with the reluctant detective Matthew Bartholomew and his brother-in-arms Michael. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2006 by Didier
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